The present invention relates to a socket for connecting, for example, a PGA (Pin Grid Array) type IC to an electric circuit
Contacts heretofore employed in sockets for IC's usually have such a structure as shown in FIG. 1, for instance, in which a pair of opposed contact pieces lA and 1B are received in a contact receiving hole made in a housing (not shown) and a pin 2 of an IC is forced into the space defined by the contact pieces 1A and 1B to make electrical contact therewith.
With an increase in the integration density of IC's, the number of pins used also increases and some IC's have as many as hundreds of pins. Such IC's are commonly referred to as the PGA (Pin Grid Array) type, because the pins are protrusively provided in the form of a grid on an insulating package formed flat.
With an increase in the number of pins, their cross-sectional area decreases, inevitably leading to a decrease in their mechanical strength. Consequently, the conventional contact is not suitable for use in the socket for the PGA type IC in that when the IC is plugged into the socket, pins of the IC are readily deformed or broken, resulting in bad contact. Moreover, there is the possibility of the IC package being broken by large force which is needed for fitting hundreds of pins into contacts at one time.
Similar problems are encountered not only in IC's but also in other parts when the number of pins used is large.